Stinky Black Hole

TMF, “Ugh, it is really stinky out there.”
BF, “Where? And what do you mean by ‘stinky?’”
TMF, “The sidewalk area where the puddle is forming.  It’s just stinky.”
BF sighs, “I think we have a sewage issue.”
TMF, “NO!”

Adding to my list of home improvement ignorance is plumbing.  Anything dealing with plumbing scares me A LOT.  There are many unforeseen issues behind walls and underneath floors.  Many of these issues are stinky, gross and expensive.

For the past few weeks, every time we took showers, washed dishes, washed clothes or used any water, an awful smell would surface from a specific area in the front yard.  As if the smell wasn’t bad enough, a large puddle would form but then disappear. 

During Tropical Storm Debby, the smell and puddle became worse.  BF decided to investigate.  He dug a large hole around the offensive smell and puddle.  More and more water continued to fill in the hole. 

After consulting with several plumbers, BF figured out the sewer pump was broken.  I called JEA and they sent a technician to see whether this was a customer or company issue.  Unfortunately they concluded it was a customer issue.  Fortunately they pumped out the nasty grey water and moved the extremely heavy concrete covering of the black hole. 

We could have hired a plumber to resolve the stinky problem, but BF is extremely handy and cost-conscious.  After two hours of labor and $250 worth of materials, BF installed the new sewer pump.

 

Although we didn’t ask for a price quote, we estimate BF’s work saved us nearly $1,000. 

BF, “You should stick your head in there.”
TMF, “Absolutely not!”
BF, “Why not?”
TMF, “It’s nasty in there!”
BF, “Well, it’s probably good that you don’t.”
TMF, “Why?”
BF, “I don’t want to scare you, but I saw some ‘things’ swimming around.”
TMF, “WHAT?”
BF, “Why are you running away?”